Radio control device



0d. 17, 1939. c BAMFORTH 2,176,051

RADIO CONTROL DEVICE Filed Aug. 31, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l x INVENTOR Doric Cecil Bamforfi.

ATTO RNEY I Oct. 17, 1939.

D. c. BAMFORTH 2,176,051 RADIO CONTROL DEVICE Filed Aug. 51, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Dar/c Cecfl Bamforfh.

ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 17, 1939 RADIO CONTROL DEVICE Doric Cecil Bamforth, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Application August 31, 1938, Serial No. 227,858

8 Claims.

This invention relates to a device for controlling the volume of a radio at a distance there from.

An object of the present invention is the provision of a device adapted to be mounted on a telephone for automatically lowering the volume of a radio when the telephone is in use.

Another object is the provision of a device adapted to be mounted on a telephone, by means of which the volume of a radio may be regulated while the telephone is in use. 7

A further object is the provision of a radio control device for the purposes described which will not interfere with the normal functioning of either the radio or the telephone.

A further object is the provision of a device of the character described which is very compact and of very simple construction.

Heretofore, the radio has usually been a source of annoyance when a person is using the telephone. The radio may be heard throughout the majority of the present day residences so that it is often very difficult and, sometimes, even impossible to carry on a conversation over the telephone owing to the noise therefrom. This is particularly so when a person answers the telephone and does not have time to shut off the radio. Sometimes a person carries on the conversation under great difficulty despite the noise while at other times it is necessary to interrupt long enough to go and shut off or lower the radio.

This invention overcomes these difficulties by providing a device adapted to be mounted on the telephone and to be electrically connected to the radio whereby the volume of the latter is automatically lowered when the telephone is in operation. If desired, this device may include means for regulating the volume of the radio while the telephone is in use.

The present invention consists essentially of a casing adapted to be mounted on a telephone, a switch secured in the casing mounted in a shunt circuit connected to a volume controlling 45 circuit of the radio, means extending outwardly from the casing adapted to be operated by the telephone to operate the switch to open and close the shunt circuit and, if desired, a variable resistor mounted in the same circuit within the 50 casing, as more fully described in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the radio control device, with the side of the casing removed and 55 the switch closed,

Figure 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the switch open, 1

Figure 3 is a rear view of the device with the cover or back removed, 1

Figure 4 is a front view of the device with a 5 portion of the mounting bracket removed,

Figure 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1, of an alternative form of the invention,

Figures 6 and 7 are perspective views of the control device mounted on two types of tele- 10.

phone, and

Figure 8 is a wiring diagram.

Referring more particularly to the drawings,

A is the radio control device adapted to be mounted on a telephone B in any suitable manner, which telephone may be a monophone (Fig. 6), a desk phone (Fig. 7),, a wall phone, or any other type of phone.

The control device A comprises an elongated. casing l0 having a removable back or cover ll. A switch I2 is mounted in the casing H3 upon a support l3 which extends inwardly from the front wall of said casing and is secured thereto in any suitable manner, such as by bolts or screws l4.

The switch l2 may be one of many types of switch but it preferably consists of a pair of parallel, resilient inner and outer blades 15 and 16 which are spaced apart and insulated from each other and from the support [3 by strips of insulating material 11. The insulators l1 and the blades l5 and 16 are assembled and secured to the support l3 by screws or bolts [8. The outer blade I6 is longer than the inner blade and is bent at its lower end into a U-shaped section 2B which lies beneath said inner blade. The inner blade I5 is provided with a contact 2i adjacent its lower end while the outer blade 55 is provided with a similar contact 22 which normally engages the contact 2 I, said contacts being held together by the resiliency of the blades.

An operating lever 23 pivotally mounted at- 24 in the lower end of the support I3, extends freely through an opening 25 in the front wall of the casing Ill and extends outwardly therefrom. The lever 23 is formed adjacent its inner end with a depending lug 26, upon one side of which is secured an insulating pad 21. The free end of the section 20 of the blade 16 bears against the insulating pad 21 and when the contacts 2! and 5 22 are together, the lever 23 is held at an angle to and above the horizontal plane so that its free or outer end lies above its pivoting point. When the outer or free end of the lever 23 is moved downwardly so that thelever pivots about the point 24, the lug 26 and its insulating pad 2'! move the lower end of the blade I6 away from the blade l5 sufliciently to disengage the contacts 2| and 22. When the outer or free end of the lever 23 is released, the resiliency of the blade l6 pivots the lever into the position at an angle to the horizontal, at which time the contacts 2i and 22 come together again.

A variable resistor 39 is mounted in the casing If! in any suitable manner above the switch I2. The resistor 33 may be secured to the end of the sleeve 3| which extends through the front wall of the casing H] and is held in position by nuts 32 and 33, said nuts being threaded on to the sleeve. The operating shaft 34 of the resistor at, extending through the sleeve 3| and out beyond the front wall of the casing, has a knob 35 fixedly secured to the outer end thereof.

A condenser 36 is mounted in the casing it in any suitable manner. In the drawings, the condenser owing to its lightness, is shown as being suspended in the casing by the wires connected thereto. The wiring of the shunt circuit of the control device is as follows: a lead wire 38 extends from the radio into the casing l and is connected to the outer blade l6 of the switch i2, a wire 39 connects the inner blade I to one end of the resistance wire (not shown) of the resistor 30, a wire 60 connects the other end of the resistance wire of the resistor to one end of the condenser 36, and a lead wire 4| connected to the other end of the condenser, extends out of the casing II] to the radio.

As stated above, the radio control device A is adapted to be mounted on a telephone. In Figs. 1 to 6 a supporting bracket 32 is illustrated which is suitable for mounting the device on a monophone, while in Fig. 7 a supporting bracket 43 is is shown by means of which the device may be mounted on a desk phone. These brackets are merely shown by way of example since the control device may be mounted on the telephone in any suitable manner, as long as the device is held in the proper position in relation to said telephone.

The control device must be mounted on the telephone in such a way that the outer end of the lever 23 will be held down when the telephone is not in use and when it is in use, said lever is released and free to pivot upwardly at an angle to the horizontal. With monophones the lever 23 extends over the cradle thereof while with other types of telephone, the lever extends beneath the receiver hook so that it may pivot upwardly and downwardly therewith.

Fig. 5 illustrates an alternative form of the invention in which the resistor 30 is omitted. In this case, the wire 40 is unnecessary and the wire 39 connects the inner blade l5 of the switch l2 to one end of the condenser 36. In the wiring diagram (Fig. 8), the section of the wire 39 that is connected to the condenser 36 is shown in broken lines.

One of the lead wires of the radio control device, say, for example, the lead wire 4!, is connected to the ground of the radio while the other lead wire, in this example wire 38, may be connected to any of several circuits, such as the grid or plate circuit of the first audio amplifying tube or the grid or plate circuit of the first intermediate amplifier.

In use, the operating lever 23 of the control device is held down when the telephone is not in use. This is done either by the telephone itself of by its receiver hook. When the operating lever is in this position, the contacts 2| and 22 are separated so that the switch [2 is open, thus breaking the shunt circuit of the device, at which time the radio functions normally and is not influenced in any way by the control device. However, when the telephone is in use, the operating lever is released and the resilient outer blade l6 brings the said contacts into engagement with each other to close the shunt circuit. If the control device includes a resistor 30, the knob 35 is normally turned so that the volume of the radio is automatically lowered when the shunt circuit is closed. The volume of the radio may then be regulated as desired by means of the resistor. If the control device does not inclurle a resistor, the volume is automatically reduced and it remains so as long as the telephone is in use. In either case, when the conversation has ended, the operating lever is pivoted downwardly either by the telephone or by the receiver hook thereof and the shunt circuit of the control device is again opened, at which time the volume of the radio remains the same as it was before the telephone was used.

When the switch !2 is closed, the current passes through the condenser 36 to the ground. The condenser prevents short circuits and it allows the alternating current to be grounded while it prevents the direct current from being so grounded. The resistor may be used to control the amount of current being grounded so that the volume of the radio may be controlled thereby during the time the switch 12 is closed.

From the above it will readily be seen that a radio control device adapted to be mounted on a telephone has been provided by means of which the volume of the radio is automatically lowered when the telephone is in use and, if desired, the volume may be controlled during such use of the telephone, without interfering with the normal functioning of either the telephone or the radio.

Various modifications may be made in this invention without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the claims, and therefore the exact forms shown are to be taken as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense, and it is desired that only such limitations shall be placed thereon as are disclosed in the prior art or are set forth in the accompanying claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A radio control device comprising a casing adapted to be mounted on a telephone, a switch secured in said casing mounted in a shunt circuit, one end of said circuit being grounded and the other end thereof connected to a volume controlling circuit of the radio, and means mounted in said casing extending outwardly therefrom adapted to hold the switch open when the telephone is not in use, said means being released when the telephone is in use to permit the switch to close automatically to lower the volume of the radio.

2. A radio control device comprising a casing adapted to be mounted on a telephone, a switch secured in said casing mounted in a shunt circuit, one end of said circuit being grounded and the other end thereof connected to a volume controlling circuit of the radio, and a lever pivotally mounted in said casing extending outwardly therefrom adapted to hold the switch open when the telephone is not in use, said lever being released when the telephone is in use to permit the switch to close automatically to lower the volume of the radio.

3. A radio control device comprising a casing adapted to be mounted on a telephone, a switch normally tending'to remain closed secured in the casing and mounted in a shunt circuit, one end of said circuit being grounded and the other end thereof connected to a volume controlling circuit of the radio, a lever pivotally mounted in said casing extending outwardly therefrom, and means formed on the lever for holding the switch open while the lever is held in one position by the telephone when the latter is not in use, said lever being released when the telephone isin use to permit the switch to close automatically to lower the volume of the radio.

4. A radio control device comprising a casing adapted to be mounted on a telephone, a switch secured in said casing mounted in a shunt circuit, one end of said circuit being grounded and the other end thereof connected to a volume controlling circuit of the radio, a condenser in the casing mounted in the shunt circuit, and means mounted in said casing extending outwardly therefrom adapted to hold the switch open when the telephone is not in use, said means being released when the telephone is in use to permit the switch to close automatically to lower the volume of the radio.

5. A radio control device comprising a casing adapted to be mounted on a telephone, a switch secured in said casing mounted in a shunt circuit, one end of said circuit being grounded and the other end thereof connected to a volume controlling circuit of the radio, a condenser in the casing mounted in the shunt circuit, and a lever pivotally mounted in said casing extending outwardly therefrom adapted to hold the switch open when the telephone is not in use, said lever being released when the telephone is in use to permit the switch to close automatically to lower the volume of the radio.

6. A radio control device comprising a casing adapted to be mounted on a telephone, a switch normally tending to remain closed secured in the casing and mounted in a shunt circuit, one end of said circuit being grounded and the other end thereof connected to a volume controlling circult of the radio, a condenser in the casing mounted in the shunt circuit, a lever pivotally mounted in said casing extending outwardly therefrom, and means formed on the lever for holding the switch open while the lever is held in one position by the telephone when the latter is not in use, said lever being released when the telephone is in use to permit the switch to close automatically to lower the volume of the radio.

7. A radio control device comprising a casing adapted to be mounted on a telephone, a switch secured in said casing mounted in a shunt circuit, one end of said circuit being grounded and the other end thereof connected to a volume controlling circuit of the radio, a condenser in the casing mounted in the shunt circuit, means pivotally mounted in said casing extending outwardly therefrom adapted to hold the switch open when the telephone is not in use, said means being released when the telephone is' in use to permit the switch to close automatically to lower the volume of the radio, and a variable resistor in the casing mounted in the shunt circuit, by means of which the volume of the radio may be controlled while the switch is closed.

8. A radio control device comprising a casing adapted to be mounted on a telephone, a switch normally tending to remain closed secured in the casing and mounted in a shunt circuit, one

end of said circuit being grounded and the other I end thereof connected to a volume controlling circuit of the radio, a condenser in the casing mounted in the shunt circuit, a lever pivotally mounted in said casing extending outwardly therefrom, means formed on the lever for holding the switch open while the lever is held in one position by the telephone when the latter is not in use, said lever being released when the telephone is in use to permit the switch to close automatically to lower the volume of the radio, and a variable resistor in the casing mounted in the shunt circuit, by means of which the volume of the radio may be controlled while the switch is closed.

DORIC CECIL BAMFORTH. 

